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Avengers West Coast#93:
Review

Demonica calling

Review & Comments

As usual Dann Thomas co-wrote this with husband Roy. But also David Ross co-plotted it. Aaron McClellan helped Tim Dzon with the inks.

This is part 1 of 3 of Pax Demonica.

In Secret Invasion this Mockingbird will be revealed as a Skrull replacement (since #91). She's very good - she even recognises Tony Stark inside the new Iron Man armour on the TV report.

Clint Barton switched from Hawkeye to Goliath via Pym Particles in #91. He's been this route before in Avengers #63-97.

As mentioned in the synopsis Darkhawk had an Annual crossover event last year with his own series, this series and Iron Man. He's now in the middle of his 50 issue series and has recently branched out into New Warriors, Secret Defenders (with Spider-Woman), and now here.

Wonder Man quit the team in his #18. Living Lightning is in college.

Tony Stark was declared dead in Iron Man #284. Jim Rhodes took over as Iron Man in the new War Machine armour (but not yet using that name and not joining this team). Tony Stark reappeared in IM#289 still paralysed, and is now remotely operating his new red&gold Iron Man armour in IM#290 with which this issue overlaps. Stark Enterprises is under attack by Battledroids sent by a rival company.

From Our Blog:

In yesteryear, when the Hulk was a savage man-brute, the world usually responded to his might with distrust, fists, and weapons.

Synopsis / Summary / Plot

Last issue ended with Kuroko of the Pacific Overlords coming to the West Coast Avengers for help. This issue starts with some flashbacks as she relates what happened on the island of Demonica after #74.

In the Pacific Overlords story arc in #70-74Dr Demonicus (Douglas Birely) raised the new Pacific island from the ocean floor, declared it a new state Demonica and joined the United Nations. We see him flanked by Kuroko and other Pacific Overlords (Cybertooth, Irezumi, Jawbreaker and Morgan Kain) repeating his promise to the UN to share the mineral wealth of the island with the world. But the 1st 3 in those brackets aren't too happy - they expected wealth to come to them.

Kuroko (and Kain) remained steadfastly loyal even after she saw Birely enter a newly-discovered cave and later return somehow different. He pushed his workers to the limit to get an International Airport built and open. And questionable people began to come to Demonica. When the UN questioned his immigration policy he took back his earlier pledge ...

... and he sent his Overlords to use a Demonican plane to hijack a UN plane. Pilot Kain used his silver brain implants to stop the plane in midair. The other Overlords boarded it and subdued it's crew of Wakandan warriors guarding the villain Klaw (after his attempt to take over Wakanda in Fantastic Four Unlimited #1).

When they returned to Demonica Birely announced that Ulysses Klaw was now his Vice-President (they'd apprently been in prior communication). Kuroko and Kain were shocked by this. Kuroko thought that the other 3 Overlords were under the control of small devices on their foreheads.

Birely took Kain to a cave under the palace, but Kuroko followed them invisibly. She saw a strange altar, and Birely placed 1 of the devices on Kain's forehead while chanting an alien ritual. And Kain became a mind-slave.

But Kuroko gave her presence away and Demonicus sent a strange flying reptile against her. She escaped and made it to a plane. As she took off she heard the alien creature eating through the metal wall, so she flew straight up until the thing dropped away from lack of oxygen.

And then she flew here to the WCA Compound for help where she met up with Goliath, Mockingbird, Scarlet Witch, Spider-Woman and U.S. Agent.

But suddenly a 7th figure enters - Darkhawk. Julia Carpenter explains that she has been in contact with him since he helped them in the Armour City story (DH Annual #1, our An#7 and Iron Man An#13). (She doesn't mention that this contact involved them both being in Dr Strange's Secret Defenders.) Since Iron Man has been inactive and now Wonder Man has left she figured they could use the extra power so she took it upon herself to invite Darkhawk to join the team (and even paid for his flight from New York).

But the new guy says IM *isn't* inactive - the airport news said he's fighting Battledroids at Stark International's Los Angeles HQ. They switch on the TV and see the Avenger in action in a new red & gold armour in his #290. Mockingbird recognises Tony Stark's signature moves, and indeed the TV says Stark is now reported not dead (as he was reported to be in his #284).

They don't have time to digest this info because they are attacked by Klaw and Zvezda Dennista/Morning Star (1 of the Russian Bogatyri from #87-88) who have come to take Kuroko back to the island. She, Goliath, Mockingbird and Scarlet Witch seem to get KO'd by the initial strike. Darkhawk rushes to the attack, Morning Star blasts him away but US Agent slams into her with his shield. Spider-Woman covers Klaw in psi-webs but his sonic blasts shred through them and knock her off her feet. Darkhawk then blasts the Master Of Sound while Morning Star and US Agent continue their USSR/USA conflict. He throws a rock at her which she blasts into fragments which hit Darkhawk. Spi stops Klaw blasting the fallen DH with a judo throw. But Morning Star flies off with unconscious Kuroko, and Klaw joins her in their flying vessel in which they escape.

All the heroes have recovered but they have no quinjet to follow them with (their last 1 was wrecked by Ultron in #91). However US Agent uses Dr. Pym's (slow) Rover (see last issue) to take Goliath and Mockingbird to Stark International to ask for a replacement, while Scarlet Witch tries to contact their UN bosses for permission to invade Demonica.

When they get to SI they see the ongoing battle and are shot down by a stray blast. Goliath has brought along his Hawkeye-ID's bow and arrows and fires off an electro-arrow which temporarily disrupts the nearby droids' systems. Then he grows tall and attacks them with MB and USA. The droids are soon dispatched and the trio go in search of a quinjet.

Meanwhile an airliner flying near Demonica is warned off and then Cybertooth and Kain land a 'retrieval craft' on top of it and force it to land on the island.